After Olympics, Rio hopes to pull off Paralympics

Rio de Janeiro, Thousands of fans and athletes will open the 2016 Rio Paralympics at a gala ceremony where organisers hope to draw a line under a chaotic build-up. A Russian doping scandal and claims that the athletes’ classification system is being manipulated have made for a rocky start for the Games, which were also hit by serious financial concerns and worries over ticket sales. But less than three weeks after the flame went out on South America’s first Olympics, Rio welcomes 4,300 Paralympians hoping to pull another successful event out of the fire.
Indian squad will participate in opening ceremony
New Delhi: The kit-related issues of the Indian Paralympics contingent have been resolved, paving the way for its participation in the opening ceremony, the Sports Ministry claimed on Wednesday. According to reports, the Indian flag on the official blazers of the athletes had no white strip in the middle, and the country’s name, too, wasn’t printed on the back. “The necessary corrections have been made and the Chef-de-Mission has reported that the contingent is ready to participate in the opening ceremony,” the Ministry said in a press release.
No telecast
Para Sports Foundation general secretary Pradeep Raj has demanded that the Paralympics should be broadcast in India. Raj said despite repeated requests, they hadn’t received any response from the authorities regarding the telecast of the event. “This is a huge discrimination on the part of the government. When there was no problem in telecasting the Rio Olympics, where is the hurdle now?” he asked. — Agencies
Obama links US Olympic success to genetic diversity
Luang Prabang (Laos): President Barack Obama linked US Olympics prowess to the country’s racial and ethnic diversity today, as he urged young Southeast Asians to support inclusive societies. Speaking in Luang Prabang in northern Laos, Obama said that America’s “great strength” was its diversity. “Recently we all saw the Olympics and you know, not to brag but the United States did very well,” he said. Citing America’s size, wealth and laws that encourage women to take part in sport as contributing factors, Obama then turned to genetics. “Because we have people who came from everywhere, we have people of all different types for every sport, so we have really tall people to play basketball or to swim, we have little people for gymnastics,” he said.